RABAT, Morocco – A strong earthquake struck Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late on Friday, killing no less than 296 individuals, destroying buildings and sending residents of main cities speeding from their properties.
The Interior Ministry mentioned the quantity constituted a preliminary demise toll and that 153 individuals had been injured. An area official mentioned most deaths had been in mountain areas that had been arduous to achieve.
Residents of Marrakech, the closest huge metropolis to the epicenter, mentioned some buildings had collapsed within the outdated metropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage website, and native tv confirmed photos of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble mendacity on smashed automobiles.
Pan-Arab al-Arabiya news channel reported that 5 individuals had been killed from one household, citing unnamed native sources.
The Interior Ministry, in its televised assertion on the demise toll, urged calm and mentioned the quake had hit the provinces of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.
Montasir Itri, a resident of the mountain village of Asni close to the epicenter, mentioned most homes there have been broken. “Our neighbors are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village,” he mentioned.
Further west, close to Taroudant, trainer Hamid Afkar mentioned he had fled his dwelling and there had been aftershocks following the preliminary quake.
“The earth shook for about 20 seconds. Doors opened and shut by themselves as I rushed downstairs from the second floor,” he mentioned.
Morocco’s geophysical middle mentioned the quake struck within the Ighil space of the High Atlas with a magnitude of seven.2. The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 6.8 and mentioned it was at a comparatively shallow depth of 18.5 km (11.5 miles).
Ighil, a mountainous space with small farming villages, is about 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Marrakech. The quake struck simply after 11 p.m. (2200 GMT).
The earthquake is Morocco’s deadliest since a 2004 tremor close to Al Hoceima within the northern Rif mountains which killed over 600 individuals.
Marrakech harm
In Marrakech, some homes within the tightly packed outdated metropolis had collapsed and folks had been working arduous by hand to take away particles whereas they waited for heavy gear, mentioned resident Id Waaziz Hassan.
Footage of the medieval metropolis wall confirmed huge cracks in a single part and components that had fallen, with rubble mendacity on the road.
Another Marrakech resident, Brahim Himmi, mentioned he noticed ambulances popping out of the outdated city and plenty of constructing facades broken. He mentioned individuals had been frightened and had been staying outdoors in case of one other quake.
“The chandelier fell from the ceiling and I ran out. I’m still in the road with my children and we’re scared,” mentioned Houda Hafsi, 43, in Marrakech.
Another girl there, Dalila Fahem, mentioned there have been cracks in her home and harm to her furnishings. “Fortunately I hadn’t gone to sleep yet,” she mentioned.
People in Rabat, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Ighil, and within the coastal city of Imsouane, about 180 km to its west, additionally fled their properties, fearing a stronger quake, based on Reuters witnesses.
Videos shared on social media of the fast aftermath of the quake, which Reuters couldn’t instantly confirm, confirmed individuals fearfully working out of a shopping mall, eating places and condo buildings and congregating outdoors. —Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
